12 Traditional Japanese Masks and the Story Behind Them

One of the oldest and most fascinating cultures globally is Japanese tradition. The Japanese are famous for their hard work, ethics, and values. The nation is known for its resilience and is known to rise every time a calamity hits it.

One of the most enthralling features of the Japanese tradition is their masks. While most of us wear masks out of necessity, the practice of wearing masks in Japan is ancient. Studies suggest the origin of masks in Japan is dated to the Jomon Period (300 B.C.).

Many Japanese dance forms require the performer to wear masks, such as the Shinto and Noh dance. The art of crafting masks also influenced many face-painting customs, especially Kabuki.

Masks and their Origin

Let’s dive deep into Japanese culture and explore the iconic 12 traditional Japanese masks and their stories.

1. Oni

One of the most famous traditional Japanese masks is the Oni mask. Oni refers to red-faced and angry-looking demons featuring the iconic long sharp teeth. If you visit Japan during the spring, you will often find people wearing these Oni masks during the Setsubun festival, also called the Bean-throwing festival.

The reason is that parents generally wear the oni mask at home to scare the children, who would throw the beans at the “oni” to expel the demon and invite good luck into the house. In other words, this also means releasing bad luck and embracing good fortune.

2. Onnamen

Remember the Noh festival? Since women are not allowed to perform in this festival, Onnamen masks are used to express the stories of female characters by male performers. Yes, Onnamen shows depict female faces.

It is believed that every Onnamen mask is different, and each has a story of its own. To give you an idea, an omiona mask represents a working woman, whereas a shakumi represents a middle-aged woman.

3. Mempo

Also known as Men-yoroi, Mempo is a broad umbrella term that illustrates the decorative and protective facial animals born by ancient Japanese soldiers, or as they’re famously known, “samurai.”

These masks fundamentally had an essential purpose. Even today, if you look closely, you will realize that these mempo masks were designed to instill fear among the enemy. They were crafted using iron and leather, providing robust protection to the soldiers.

4. Tengu

With a protruding and bulbous nose and a grim expression, the Tengu is a famous Japanese traditional mask that the Shinto god inspires. Interestingly, a Chinese version resembles the Shinto god, known as the Tiangou, or the dog-demon.

These expressive masks are typically crafted using paper mache, wood, and plastic. In the present day, you will often find Tengu masks hung in Japanese households with the belief that they will scare the evil spirits and invite good luck. Another place is the theatres, where performers wear these masks to portray the legends and stories.

5. Hannya

Featuring one of the most famous Japanese symbols, Hannya is the jealous female demon. Its popularity is so great that it is also a common tattoo motif among Japanese youngsters today.

The specialty of this mask is that it features a different range of complex features, which are depicted depending on the angle of light. This is why she’s also one of the most famous figures in the Noh theatre.

Even the mask’s colors depict a story, such as the white Hannya mask representing a refined character, whereas a red mask symbolizes the presence of evil. As you might have guessed, the darkest red is for showcasing the evilest demons.

Another fascinating fact about this mask is that an angry female face will be visible if an actor looks directly at you. However, if the performer looks down at the ground, the light creates illusions that make you feel like the performer is crying.

6. Noh

Up until now, you have read “Noh” a few times. Let’s finally decode what Noh is. In broader terms, Noh is a traditional Japanese musical drama where all the characters have masks. Yes, every character, whether male, female, child, old, or demon, is depicted using masks.

What is alluring is that Noh masks are highly expressive, making them complex to design. You can guess the complexity by the fact that different angles alter the expression of the character.

For example, you would feel the actor is showing anger from one angle, whereas, from another angle, you will see sorrow.

7. Kitsune

There are several fascinating stories about the enigmatic Japanese character. “Kitsune” in Japanese means “fox.” However, it’s not your regular fox.

According to the Shinto tales, Kitsune is the messenger of Inari, who is the god of agriculture, commerce, and fertility. However, one of the most common representations of the kitsune is that it depicts high intelligence and cunningness, which are not always considered upstanding ethics in Japanese culture.

Kitsune is viewed as a magical creature and shapeshifter in other Japanese legends. The story of Kitsune is so popular that you will often find masks, costumes, and souvenirs based on the ubiquitous fox.

8. Hyottoko

Most of you new to the traditional Japanese masks must be thinking, why is everything revolving around sadness or anger? Well, that’s not exactly the case. Meet the mask that is used to depict comics, Hyottoko.

The story behind Hyottoko is fascinating. One of the most famous skills of this character is his ability to blow fire through a bamboo pipe. The comical features and the fire skills make Hyottoko a festival favorite.

If you translate “Hyottoko” into Japanese, you will get “fireman.”

There are several legends behind Hyottoko. In some parts, people believe he is the god of fire, whereas, in others, he is believed to be a strange-looking boy who could produce gold through his belly button. Hence, it is common for Japanese households to use the mask to symbolize good luck and fortune.

9. Okame

Another mask that revolves around the theme of excitement and joy is the Okame, which depicts a cherub-faced lady. What’s even more surprising is that Okame is considered the wife of Hyottoko.

Okame is also referred to as Otafuku, and this cheerful lady symbolizes good luck. Okame means tortoise, which symbolizes long life, and Otafuku translates to good fortune. However, unlike Hyottoko, Okame is limited to a smaller region.

In theatres, Okame is used by dancers who perform silly steps to make their audience laugh and spread joy.

10. Kyogen

Noh theater’s severe and solemn sets get comic relief with Kyogen masks. Kyogen is performed in the intermission of Noh sets. In its literal translation, it means “comical drama.” The Hyottoko features are also derived from Kyogen, resembling humorous themes.

Another notable feature of Kyogen masks is that actors who wear these masks only perform non-human roles, contrary to Noh.

11. Namahage

One of the most famous traits of Japanese people is their excellent discipline. So how does a mask contribute to discipline? Unlike the other masks on the list, this traditional Japanese mask is used by parents to teach obedience to their children by wearing the Namahage mask to frighten them.

This is very common in Oga village, located in Akita. Young men would often don these masks to scare young brats into behaving.

Namahage is often referred to as the mountain demon, and the tradition is so prevalent in the Oga village that you will at least see one Namahage while walking down the street.

12. Animegao

This is one of the modern additions to the famous Japanese masks. As the name suggests, Animegao masks are inspired by anime, and manga is among the biggest industries in modern Japan.

These comical masks are a modern take on the traditional craft. Manga stories and anime characters often inspire these masks. You will often find these masks in stores and see young children and adults wearing them to showcase their love for their preferred characters.

Final Words

That concludes our list of the top 12 Japanese masks and their stories. Isn’t it fascinating how the Japanese have immortalized their ancient craft even though it is more than a thousand years old?

People still enjoy the art and its modern blend with the new stories.

You would also see the collaboration of traditional masks efficiently depicting modern stories. It gets even more exciting when you realize that wearing a mask hides the face, and therefore the audience cannot see the facial expressions.

However, it is the performer’s skill through which they use these different iconic masks for storytelling. Let us know which one of the above masks and its origin story captivated you the most.